On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued an order in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services vacating PM 602-0192, PM 602-0194, and PA 2025-26. In a statement issued June 12, USCIS announced it was complying with the federal court order and said all affected applications would now be reviewed as if the pause had never occurred. This decision clears the path for thousands of pending immigration cases frozen since late 2025.
What changed
Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated the USCIS policies that have frozen immigration benefits for nationals of thirty-nine countries since late last year, holding that all four challenged policies are unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Court entered its final judgment on June 11, 2026.
The December 2, 2025 memorandum (PM-602-0192) imposed the initial adjudication hold tied to the nineteen-country list and placed a nationwide hold on asylum applications. The January 1, 2026 memorandum (PM-602-0194) expanded the hold to cover all thirty-nine Travel Ban Countries.
The decision applies to a range of immigration benefits, including applications for permanent residency (green cards), citizenship, work authorization and other immigration-related requests submitted by individuals already residing in the United States.
The court repeatedly distinguished between the President’s authority under INA §212(f) to restrict entry and USCIS’s authority to adjudicate immigration benefits, noting the decision addresses USCIS policies, not the Presidential Proclamations themselves. The court invoked 8 U.S.C. § 1152(a)(1)(A), the INA’s nondiscrimination provision, which forbids discrimination in the issuance of immigrant visas based on nationality or place of birth, concluding that treating country of origin as a categorical bar collided with that congressional command.
Why it matters
For months, applicants from the 39 covered countries—including Afghanistan—could not obtain final adjudication on pending green card, naturalization, work permit, and asylum applications, even after passing interviews and meeting all statutory requirements. While USCIS continued to collect filing fees from applicants, it refused to process a wide range of applications, including those for green cards, work permits, and other immigration benefits.
The court’s vacatur is broader than preliminary injunctions won in other districts. Unlike earlier preliminary injunction wins in other districts, which have generally limited relief to the named plaintiffs in those cases, the remedy here is vacatur of the underlying policies themselves, which carries far broader effect.
USCIS strongly disagrees with the Court’s order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review. The government may seek a stay of the ruling and appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Until an appeal succeeds or a stay is granted, the frozen cases must resume adjudication nationwide.
Way forward
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Identify stalled cases. Review your client roster for pending applications from nationals of the 39 covered countries that were placed on hold since December 2025. The USCIS newsroom page lists the specific countries.
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Monitor USCIS operational response. Whether and how quickly USCIS modifies its operations in response remains to be seen. Check myUSCIS and contact USCIS service centers for current processing timelines on your affected cases.
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Prepare for adjudication. If your client’s case requires additional evidence or an updated affidavit of support, prepare to submit it promptly when USCIS signals readiness to move forward.
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Track appellate developments. The government has announced it may appeal. Monitor the docket in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, 1:26-cv-00132 (D.R.I.), for any stay motion or appellate notice.
Disclaimer
This article summarizes a federal court decision and USCIS operational announcement as of June 12, 2026. It is not legal advice. Immigration law is rapidly evolving, and the government may appeal or seek a stay of this order. You must consult a licensed immigration attorney to assess how this ruling affects your specific case and circumstances. Verify all information against the primary USCIS newsroom alert and the court filings before relying on it in client matters.